It's about 450 highway miles from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Valley View, most of it a due-west stretch of Interstate 80.

David Elien, president and CEO of General Electric Co.'s LED lighting subsidiary, Lumination, took a more circuitous route.

“When I look in the mirror, I see a Haitian kid from Brooklyn,” said the 38-year-old Mr. Elien, whose parents came to the United States a year before his birth. “It's a never-ending story. You always want to reach higher and use that last accomplishment as fuel for motivation to go after the next one.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Mr. Elien left his hometown at 17 years old and joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving four years and spending most of his time on embassy duty in Nairobi, Kenya. Though he'd entered the service with intentions of being a “lifer,” Mr. Elien was selected for the officers' program and wound up attending prep school in California, which he said served as a springboard into college.

After earning his undergraduate degree in accounting at Florida A&M University, Mr. Elien joined the Atlanta offices of Arthur Andersen LLP, intent on gaining experience with a single goal in mind.

“I decided pretty early on, probably right when I graduated from college, that I wanted to lead a business,” Mr. Elien said. “I wanted to get wide exposure, business-wise.”

He also spent time in Tennessee selling pharmaceuticals for Pfizer, adding yet another learning experience to his list.

“I figured, hey, if I could sell a complex product to a very discriminating audience, that's good exposure,” Mr. Elien said.

Following graduate school at the University of Michigan, where he earned his MBA, Mr. Elien joined the Cleveland branch of consulting firm McKinsey & Co., working on productivity and growth issues for clients ranging from the Diocese of Cleveland to banks and oil companies.

Six years ago, he signed on with General Electric in was then called GELcore in a business development and strategy role. A year-and-a-half later, he was offered Lumination's lead position in what was still largely a fledgling industry.

“The biggest challenge is really defining for people a vision and getting people to buy into what's not there — to believe in what could be, and consistently keeping them energized and focused on what could be,” Mr. Elien said.

Michael Petras, president and CEO of Lumination's parent company, GE Lighting & Industrial, said Lumination's growth — its average annualized sales growth rate is roughly 30% — is clearly tied to the presence of Mr. Elien at the helm.

“David's intelligence, integrity, strategic focus and determination to understand and serve customers inspire his team to aim high in everything they do,” Mr. Petras said. “He's truly a talented leader.”

Mr. Elien has been married to his wife Tabitha for what he called “an action-packed 13 years.” They have three children: David Jr., 7, 5-year-old daughter Kaelyn, and 2-year-old Joshua.